After a 26,000-mile journey through eight countries, they beat three rival teams in the show’s 25th season finale to claim the $1 million prize and become the third all-female team to win the contest.

DeJong and Warren are doctorate students in food science and lab mates at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, according to the show’s website. DeJong, a 2008 Barrington High School graduate, is researching sugar-free sweetener crystallization, while Warren, of the St. Louis area, studies the properties of ice cream.

The monthlong race, which began May 31 but was broadcast in the fall TV season, started in Times Square in New York, with teams trekking around the world, completing mental and physical challenges. Teams that lag behind are gradually eliminated — a fate DeJong and Warren narrowly escaped in the second-to-last episode, which took place in Manila, Philippines.

DeJong and Warren arrived last, but instead of telling them their time was up, the host announced the first four-team finale.

Despite coming into the final as underdogs, the pair successfully mastered the final set of challenges to earn the $1 million prize.

DeJong and Warren could not immediately be reached for comment, but DeJong told the audience it had been “an absolutely crazy experience.” “It’s something you can’t really understand unless you’ve done it,” she said.

Warren said she hopes they’ve “been able to show the world that we’re so much more than lab coats, beakers and goggles. Look what scientists can do, look what scientists can be, especially women scientists. Hopefully we’ve been able to inspire people along the way to go out there and do things that are out of the box.”